Sultamicillin
Encyclopedia
Sultamicillin is an oral form of the antibiotic combination (codrug
or mutual prodrug
) ampicillin/sulbactam
. It contains esterified
ampicillin
and sulbactam
and is marketed under a number of trade names, including Saltum and Unasyn
Codrug
A codrug or mutual prodrug consists of two synergistic drugs chemically linked together, in order to improve the drug delivery properties of one or both drugs...
or mutual prodrug
Prodrug
A prodrug is a pharmacological substance administered in an inactive form. Once administered, the prodrug is metabolised in vivo into an active metabolite, a process termed bioactivation. The rationale behind the use of a prodrug is generally for absorption, distribution, metabolism, and...
) ampicillin/sulbactam
Ampicillin/sulbactam
Ampicillin/sulbactam is a combination of the common penicillin-derived antibiotic ampicillin and sulbactam, an inhibitor of bacterial beta-lactamase. Two different forms of the drug exist. The first, developed in 1987 and marketed in the United States under the tradename Unasyn, is an intravenous...
. It contains esterified
Ester
Esters are chemical compounds derived by reacting an oxoacid with a hydroxyl compound such as an alcohol or phenol. Esters are usually derived from an inorganic acid or organic acid in which at least one -OH group is replaced by an -O-alkyl group, and most commonly from carboxylic acids and...
ampicillin
Ampicillin
Ampicillin is a beta-lactam antibiotic that has been used extensively to treat bacterial infections since 1961. Until the introduction of ampicillin by the British company Beecham, penicillin therapies had only been effective against Gram-positive organisms such as staphylococci and streptococci...
and sulbactam
Sulbactam
Sulbactam is a molecule that is given in combination with beta-lactam antibiotics to inhibit beta-lactamase, an enzyme produced by bacteria that destroys the antibiotics...
and is marketed under a number of trade names, including Saltum and Unasyn